Bathrooms can be expensive, and many bathroom vanities can almost end up looking either too generic or too out of place depending on the color scheme of the bathroom of the material the vanity is made of.
Luckily, there’s both a cheaper and more personal option that will help you get an attention-grabbing vanity piece for your bathroom through upcycling. Here are some great ideas to make a one-of-a-kind upcycled bathroom vanity for your bathroom.
1. Old Writing Desk Vanity
Almost all of us have changed writing desks or computer desks in our home at some point. Rather than toss the old desk out, it could make a great bathroom vanity if you have a larger bathroom.
The large flat surface gives you plenty of options for tabletop storage like stacking towels, pump soaps, your most often used cleansers, etc, while the drawers give you a great place to store smaller items like toothbrushes, nail clippers, brushes, combs, and even things like hair dryers if there is a deep enough draw for it to fit.
2. Ladder Shelf
Ladders can be very useful tools, but with a little creativity and ingenuity, they can become great storage tools as well.
Depending on whether your ladder has flat rungs or round ones, you can use it to hold things like toiletries, soaps, shampoos, and conditioners, or it can be a convenient towel rack to hang your towels and washcloths on.
You can even cut it down to fit a smaller area and act more as accent shelving than the main focal point of your bathroom.
3. A Touch of Brass
Brass can be a great accent color to use for a bathroom, especially since a lot of the fixtures like faucets and showerheads come in brass as well.
Why not take that concept a step further and upcycle an old brass salad bowl or decorative piece as your sink as well.
Having a free-standing sink is certainly unique on its own, but having the decor of the bowl visible to all your guests will make your guests wonder where you got it from.
4. Antique Bathhouse
Antiques or older pieces of furniture can offer a lot of value when it comes to giving a room character and serving as a focal point of a room.
Repurposing and upcycling an old antique cabinet set or set of drawers can make a great bathroom vanity unit for your bathroom.
Something like a small drawered nightstand or a small bedroom vanity would work best, since it won’t be too big and overpower the room, while still offering great practical value offering tons of storage space.
5. A Crate Idea For A Vanity
An old crate can make a quirky and entertaining vanity piece, especially if it’s one that is well-traveled with all sorts of stamps or markings on it.
In order to make this work, you’ll have to line the inside of the crate with something waterproof if you plan on using it to hold your sink as well, or simply cut an area to set your sink into.
You’ll also want to apply a finish or some kind of sealant to the wood since the quality of the wood used on crates can be a bit poor, and having an untreated crate could lead to plenty of splinters.
Once you’re done though, you’ll have a unique and charming focal point for your bathroom that might end up turning a few heads.
6. Keep It Too Simple
Simplicity is sometimes key when it comes to interior decorating, and this project proves it.
The main focus of your vanity will be the marble countertop, and you’ll emphasize this by leaving the vanity around it open and visible.
You can use metal piping, wood, or even more abstract materials like repurposed tree trunks to build the framework around where the vanity would be, but leave the facing out of the project, letting the inner workings of the sink come into full view.
Not only does this provide a nice abstract aesthetic for your bathroom, but it also makes sink repairs a lot easier since everything is already out in the open.
7. Canister Sinks
These sinks can add a fun and playful look to your bathroom, especially if you don’t want the look of a standard faucet.
Even better, these canister sinks can also offer more hidden storage space if you create a false bottom in the canister above where the water faucet will run through the bottom of the container, giving you a place to store extra soaps, hand towels, or other assorted items you’ll need quick and easy access to.
With a little paint and some creativity, these canister sinks can have either a playful appearance or even look more elegant to fit a classier design style, whichever works best for your home.
8. Ice Bucket Sink
This is a great project if your house has a more rustic or farmhouse feel to it.
Simply use a large ice bucket for your sink, cutting a hole for the drain and securing it to your plumbing system.
Depending on your bathroom setup, you can either have the ice bucket inset into the countertop or simply have the bucket sitting atop the counter and secure it to the countertop.
Either way, this sink will definitely add some unique farmhouse flair to your bathroom.
9. The Trough Tub
While it might not sound like the most elegant option, a large water trough can make for an effective bathtub.
They’re large enough to lay in and are surprisingly easy to clean considering they’re metal. On top of that, you can install a heating element tot he metal to keep the tub water warm by heating up the metal tub.
There are a variety of options for using a trough in your bathroom as well since it can also be used as a sink or the framework for a bathroom vanity piece too.
Just secure some plywood to either side of the water faucet and you have a countertop and large sink ready to go. If you want, you can even attach hinges to the countertop space so you can instantly get more sink room if you need it, for things like dying your hair, or giving your hair a shampoo and rinse after a haircut.
10. Fountain Sinks
If you are going for a more natural or outdoor aesthetic, a fountain sink could work well for your bathroom.
You’re basically installing a small modified garden fountain as your sink, building a sturdy vanity around it to make sure it holds. This project does take a bit more planning since these stone fountains tend to be a lot heavier than your traditional metal or porcelain sink, meaning you’ll have to custom build a vanity to support the extra weight or find a fountain that is free-standing and mount it directly to the floor.
These types of sinks can give you bathroom a very calm and relaxing atmosphere, especially if you prioritize using plants, flowers, and earth tones in the color scheme.
These ten ideas are great places to start if you’re looking to upcycle for your bathroom decor, but feel free to explore, experiment, and alter these ideas to suit your needs. When it comes to using upcycling for your DIY home improvement projects, you’re only limited by your imagination if you can find the right materials to work with.
